Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith -  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include:

• Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO.
• A foiled cell attack in New York City.
• A deep dive on Fibersmith, and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground.

Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by Sarah Morris, Managing Director of Technology at Waxman Strategies and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at NTIA.

Sarah offers an insider’s perspective on the BEAD program, reflecting on her time helping design and launch the $42.5 billion initiative to close the digital divide.

Together, they unpack the Trump administration’s recent push to steer more households toward satellite service, what it means for state-led broadband planning, and the risks of undermining Congress’s original vision for BEAD.

The conversation also dives into the importance of non-deployment funds, why state-driven processes matter, and how to keep accountability and community needs at the center of federal broadband policy.

This show is 41 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by Sarah Morris, Managing Director of Technology at Waxman Strategies and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at NTIA.

Sarah offers an insider’s perspective on the BEAD program, reflecting on her time helping design and launch the $42.5 billion initiative to close the digital divide.

Together, they unpack the Trump administration’s recent push to steer more households toward satellite service, what it means for state-led broadband planning, and the risks of undermining Congress’s original vision for BEAD.

The conversation also dives into the importance of non-deployment funds, why state-driven processes matter, and how to keep accountability and community needs at the center of federal broadband policy.

This show is 41 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license